Current collector



Nov. 26,1946. l 5w. J. LEwls Er Al. I 2,411,797

CURQINT COLLECTOR Filed Aug, 26 1944 3I1Dentor MEEN @I EWLS Bg JUSTIN H. SANPUBD v prising a pair of insulating units I.

Patented Nov. 26, 1946 CURRENT COLLECTOR Warren J. Lewis and Justin H. Sanford, Mansfield, Ohio, assignors to The Ohio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application August 26, 1944, Serial No. 551,381

13 Claims.

Our invention relates to current collectors and Y particularly for use on traveling cranes.

The main object of our invention is to provide a collector in which the shoe is spring mounted for movement in one direction and in which the shoe lis freely movable in a direction at right angles to the rst said direction of movement.

Other objects will be apparent from our description to follow in which our invention is fully set forth and shown in the accompanying drawing.

In electrically operated cranes which move along a track and in which power is gathered from one or several conductors depending upon the power system, the conductors extend as a rule in a direction parallel to the direction of travel of the crane, and are located either above the crane or at one end thereof and mounted on the track support.

These conductors may vary in their spacing somewhat or have a sag between unyielding iixed insulating supports. For these reasons we make the collector shoe movable or adjustable in two directions at right angles to each other.

1n the drawing:

Fig, 1 shows a front View in partial section of a collector unit mounted on a crane member.

Fig. 2 is a side or end view of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view in partial section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention a spring support for the shoe is provided com- Each unit is provided with a pair of spaced metal members 2 and 3 surrounded by insulation 4 which also ex- I? tends between the members 2 and 3, thus providing an insulator unit.

The members 2 each have a threaded orice by means of which the insulator is secured to the crane member 5 by cap screw or by a stud andv nut 6.

Projecting from each member 3 in axial alignment with the insulator unit and stud and nut 6,

is a guide stud 'I threaded at one end and inserted in a threaded orifice in the member 3. v The insulating units I are each mounted on a "member 5 of the crane or in any other suitable ing, bar 8 which rests upon a pair of helically wound springs 9, one on each guide 1 and which yieldingly resist ymovement of the supporting bar 'I towards the insulator units I.

The bar 8, between the guides 1, has an upper concave bearing surface I 0 and a lower convex bearing surface II and each surface forming an arc of a circle having a common center of radius.

Mounted on the supporting bar 8 is a shoe arranged to slide back and forth upon the bar 8 between the guides 1.

The shoe comprises a saddle I2 having a transverse opening I3 conforming to the transverse cross-section of the bar 8 with suiiicient clearance to prevent the shoe binding on the bar, and the openingforming a greater arc of a circle than the bar whereby the shoe may rock on the bar in a plane at right angles tothe longitudinal axis of the bar. The side walls of the slot when engaged by the side walls of the bar will limit the rocking movement of the shoe.

Mounted on the saddle I2 is a holder I4 having a means I5 at one end to hook into the saddle and a threaded lug I6 at the other end to receive a cap screw I 'I whereby the holder is held in place on the saddle I 2.

The holder may be provided with an insert I8 of carbonaceous material, or of a soft or hard metal or a mix of carbon and metal or the insert may be omitted entirely and the holder made solid.

The holder I4 is provided with a longitudinal groove I9 to receive the conductor 20 and hold the shoe in position on the conductor.

For better description of our shoe, reference is made to U. S. Patents 1,890,946 and 2,185,268.

It will be apparent that the shoe is cushion supported and yieldable upon the guides 'I and also laterally movable on the bar 8 to adjust its position for irregularities in the sag and spacing of the conductors and that the shoe is also arranged to rock in a plane at right angles to the axis of the bar 8. Any one or all of the said movements may be omitted if desired.

As many units may be used as necessary for the number of conductors required.

Leading from the shoe is a tap 2| secured to the saddle I2 bythe cap screw I'I. The tap connects to the operating mechanism on the crane.

While we have shown and described a certain embodiment of our invention, it is understood to be capabe of modification. Changes, therefore,

" may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the apf pended claims.

We claim: A 1. A current collector comprising, a traveling crane, a -pair of spaced insulators mounted on the crane, means projecting from each insulator in a direction away from the crane, an elongated bar mounted on the said means in slidable relation thereto toward and away from the insulators, yielding means interposed between the bar and the insulators to cushion the movement of the bar in one direction, the bar having a concave bearing surface, a current` collector shoe mounted on the bar to move longitudinally thereof and having a convex bearing surface cooperating with the concave bearing surface whereby the shoe may rock upon the bar in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bar and a groove associated with the shoe and extending in the direction of motion of the shoe to receive a current conductor.

Z. A current collector comprising, an elongated bar provided with a concave bearing surface, means to support the bar comprising a pair of spaced insulators, means to secure the insulators to a support, guide means extending from each insulator, the axes of the guide means being parallel and resilient means interposed between the bar and the insulators to cushion the movement of the bar and a collector shoe slidably mounted on the bar and having a convex bearing surface engaging the bearing surface on the bar whereby the shoe may oscillate in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bar, the shoe being slidable longitudinally along the bar and having an elongated groove to receive a trolley wire.

3. A current collector comprising, a pair of spaced insulators each provided with means to secure it to a support, means projecting from each insulator in insulated relation to the first said means and having parallel longitudinal axes, a supporting bar with ends associated with the said means and movable along the projecting means in the direction of the axes thereof, yielding means interposed between the bar and the insulators, the bar provided with a concave bearing surface, a shoe mounted on the bar and provided with a convex bearing surface cooperating with the concave bearing surface on the bar whereby the shoe may pivot in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bar, the shoe being movable along the bar between the projecting means.

4. A current collector comprising, a pair of spaced insulators each provided with means to secure it to a support, means projecting from each insulator in insulated relation to the first said means and having parallel longitudinal axes, a supporting bar with ends associated with the said projecting means and movable along the projecting means in the direction of the axes thereof, yielding means interposed between the bar and the insulators, the bar provided with a concave bearing surface, a shoe mounted on the bar and provided with a convex bearing surface cooperating with the concave bearing surface cn the bar whereby the shoe may pivot in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bar, the shoe being movable along the bar between the projecting means and means on the shoe cooperating with means on the bar to maintain the cooperation between the said bearing surfaces.

5. A current collector comprising, a pair of spaced insulators each provided with means having parallel axes to secure it to a support, guide means projecting from each insulator, the longitudinal axis of each guide means being common with the axis of the associated rst means, an elongated support bar mounted on the guide means with its longitudinal axis at right angles to the axes of the guide means, the bar being movable along the guide means in two directions and resilient means to cushion the movement of the bar in one direction, a collector shoe mounted on the bar and freely movable along the bar and means on the shoe to receive a trolley wire and to guide the shoe along the Wire.

6. A current collector comprising, a pair of spaced insulators each provided at one end with means to secure it to a support, guide means projecting from the opposite end of each insulator and having parallel axes, a support bar having its ends movably mounted on the guide means and resilient means to cushion the bar in one direction of movement, a collector shoe mounted on the bar and movable along the bar and movable in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bar and means on the shoe to receive and guide the shoe along a trolley wire.

7. A current collector comprising, a pair of spaced insulators each provided at one end with means to secure it to a support, guide means projecting from the opposite end of each insulator and having parallel axes, a support bar having `its ends movably mounted on the guide means and resilient means to cushion the bar in one direction of movement, a collector shoe mounted on the bar and movable along the bar and movable in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bar and means on the shoe to receive and guide the shoe along a trolley wire and other means to limit the last said movement of the shoe on the bar.

8. A support for a current collector shoe comprising, a pair of insulators spaced, apart with means to secure each insulator to a support, elongated guiding means projecting from each insulator and having parallel axes common with the axes of the iirst said means, the said means for each insulator being insulated from each other, a supporting bar for the shoe extending between the guiding means and having its ends associated with the guiding means whereby the bar may move along the guiding means in two directions and means to cushion the movement in one direction.

9. A current Collector comprising, a pair of spaced insulators with means at one end to secure the insulators to a support, other means projecting from each insulator and insulated from the first said means, an elongated support bar mounted on the said other means, the bar provided with a curved bearing surface, a shoe provided with an insert, an opening through the shoe to receive the bar, the opening having a curved bearing surface cooperating with the bearing surface on the bar, the sho-e movable along the bar between said other means and in a plane t right angles to the longitudinal axis of the 10. A current collector comprising a pair of spaced insulators, means at one end of each insulator to secure it to a support, guiding means at the other end of each insulator, a bar extending between the guiding means and having its ends cooperating with the guiding means, the bar movable along the guiding means, a current collector mounted on the bar and provided with means to receive a trolley wire to guide the collector along the wire and means yieldingly resisting movement of the bar due to `pressure of the collector against the trolley wire.

1l. A current collector comprising a pair of spaced insulators each having means at one end to secure the insulators to a movable support and other means projecting therefrom and insulated from the first means, an elongated support bar mounted on the said other means, the bar provided with a curved bearing surface, a shoe mounted on the bar and free to move along the bar and provided with an elongated groove to receive a trolley wire, the longitudinal plane of the groove'being at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bar, the shoe having an opening therethrough and having a curved surface cooperating wth the bearing surfaceon the bar whereby the shoe may pivot on the bar in the direction of said plane.

12. A support for a current collector shoe comprising, a pair of spaced insulators, each insulator provided with means to secure it to a support and guide means projecting from each insulator, the first and second said means of eachv insulator being in insulated relation and having aligned axes and the projecting means having parallel axes, an elongated bar to support the shoe extending between the guide means whereby the bar may move along the guide means in two directions and yielding means associated with each guide means to support the elongated bar,

the bar provided with a pair of oppositely dsposed transversely curved surfaces.

13. A current collector comprising a pair of spaced insulators, means to secure each insulator to a support, a pair of parallel guide rods secured to and projecting from the insulators and insulated from the said means, each insulator having one rod, a support bar positioned between the guide rods and having its ends associated with the rods, a current collector mounted on the bar and provided with means to receive a trolley wire and guide the collector along the wire, the collector movable along the bar, means on the bar cooperating with means on the cur- 1 rent collector whereby the shoe may oscillate 

